Ultraviolet radiation apparatus



y 1935. J. G. AXELOS ET AL 2,049,099

ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION PP ATU ATTORNB) Patented July 28, 1936 UNITEDSTTES PATENT OFFICE ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION APlAEATUS Application June.20,1932, Serial No. 618,401 In France December 26, 1931 13 Claims. (01.250-35) The present invention relates to the construction of lamps forutilizing the ultra-violet rays emitted by gases or vapeurs or a mixtureof gases and vapeurs excited by high frequency'electrlc currents.

The art of utilizlng these rays necessitates a particular condition. Itis necessary to bring the source of the radiations as close as possibleto the part to be irradiated. It is, in fact, known that ultra-violetradiations, particulariy those of short wave-length, are very muchabsorbed by the air. It is necessary, therefore, to avoid theinterposition of air between the source and the'region to be irradiated,the efliciency depending not so much upon the law of illumination, whichis inversely proportional to the square of the distance, as upon theabsorption of the radiations by the interposed layer of air.

In medicine, for example, forcertain local applications necessitatingthe use of short wavelengths, it is expedient to hold the lamp againstthe part to be irradiated. Since the existing lamps become very hot, thelamp has to be surrounded by a circulation of cold water, which absorbsthe radiations, diminishes the efiiciency and complicates the apparatus.

An object of this invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the priorart by providing a lamp containing a gaseous and/or vapor fillingexcited by a high frequency electric field and Which has at least one ofits walls situated outside cf the effect of the high frequency field sothat it W111 remain without cooling at a temperature 10W enough topermit contact between said wall and parts of a human body.

To amplify the following description, reference will be made to theaccompanying drawing in which: v

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view partly in sec-- tion of one form of thepresentinvention, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the present invention.

In the lamp according to the present invention, the high-requencyexcitation system, which may beoutside or inside the enclosurecontaining the gas or gases or the mixture of gases and vapours, isplaced at a sufiicient distance from the wall serving for irradiationfor the said wall to be situated outside the electro-magnetic field.This wall is thus removed from the action of the highfrequency fieldwhich, as is known, produces considerable heating in dielectrics. At thesame time, the wall is less exposed to the transmission of heat byconduction from other discharge between the turns.

. spectacles of special glass.

For this double reason, the radiating wall remains at a sufiiciently lowtemperature to permit it to be applied directly to the part to betreated, without the need for any cooling device.

According to the applications for which the .5 lamp is intended, thewall used for irradiation may be made of any substance of a nature andthickness s'o chosen as to allow only a certain zone of the sefulvisible or ultra-violet spectrum to pass for the desired'application.Moreover, 10 this wall may be given desirable shape so as to fit closelythe shape of the region where the application is to be made. It is thuspossible to introduce into cavities or to apply directly to the tissuesthe wall itseli of the lamp, the shape of 15 which has been madeappropriate.

As shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, a tube T of the glassknown under the registered trade-mark Pyrex about 14 cm. long and 3 cm.in diameter s Closed at one end. At

this end, on half the tube, is wound externally with adjacent turns acopper wire C having for exemple a diameter of 2 mm. and a thickness of0.5 mm. cf asbestos insulation. To the other end of the tube is cementeda quartz plate P which is transparent for the visible and ultra-violetspectrum. The lamp is filled with a suitable atmosphere, for example, amixture of rare gases and mercury vapeur. The twoend wires A and B ofthe solenoid S are connected to the terminals of a highfrequencyapparatus, for example, a spark-gap diathermy apparatus. A handle D isprovided for manipulating the apparatus.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. 2, the solenoid 5 employed forexcitation is situated inside the lamp itself. The conductor wire isinsulated by any suitable substance, for example by enamel so as toavoid the production of any A solenoid of insulating tube, for exampleof the Pyrex glass above referred to, in which is placed the conductorwire, may likewise be disposed inside the lamp. Mercury or certainalloys which are liquid at the working temperatuie of the lamp may beintroduced instead of a conductor wire. In this case, any known devicemay be provided with a view to preventing the bursting of the glass tubeas a result of the expansion of the mercury or the alloy during theworking of the lamp.

In these examples of lamps, the principal wall made of Pyrex glass whichabsorbs the ultraviolet rays of mean and short wave-length protects theoperator during the entire duration of application and rentiersunnecessary the use of With this 1amp, local irradiations, for exampleon the human skin, may be carried out by applying the quartz platedirectly against the skin, without any noticeable heating taking place,even at the end of half an hours working. The quartz plate may bereplaced, for egample, byfpieces of quartz of any desirable shape, asshown diagrammatically at E in dotted lines, and more particularly by aquartz lens for concentrating the radiations. 5

Several walls may likewise be provided. on one and the same lamp with aview to diffrent applications. In the case of Figure 1, for example,

the quartz plate may be rtaned at one end and; a quartz lens may beprovided at the other end, the manipulating handle being;difierently;di-

posed. r It will sometimes be advantageous to provide, within the lampor directly on the outsidetherof, refiectors of high reflecting power,for visible rays and ultra-violet rays, f orexample of known alloys ofmagnesium andfl;aluminum. Such a refiector is shown at M, in Figure 2,but it may be constructed in any convenientmanner, for example by asuitable deposition on the wallof the lamp.

It will be seen that the present invention is directed to apparatus of'great simplicity of construction and use, being distinguished *clearlyfrom the ultra-violet ray lamps at presentknown.

Having now particularly described' and ascertained the nature of Oursaid invention andin what mariner the same is to be performed, we declarthat what we claim is: n

1. A device for the therapeuticapplication of ultra-violet radiationsemitted by gases excited by high frequenc currents, comprising a sealedreceptacle containing the gases, and an induction coil situat-edoh theextericr of th e sealed receptacle and adapted to be conneted toa sourceof high frequency current f or inductively exciting the gaseous content.of the receptacle,

the :receptacle having at least one of its walls formed of materialtransparent to ultraviclet rays and employed for irradiation;and saidwall being separated from the portion of the receptacle about which thecoil*is positibneda distance sufiiciently great to be out of the actionof the induced field and'to permit the wall, Without cooling, to be at atemperature sfiiciently lo w to be applied to the part to be irradiated.

2. A device for the therapeutic application of ultraviolet radiationsemitted by gases excited by high frequency currents, comprising a sealedreceptacle containing the gases, and an induction coil positioned withina portion of the receptacle and adapted to be connected to a source ofhigh frequency current forfiinductivclv exciting the gaseous content'ofthe receptacle, the receptacle having a wall formd of materialtransparent t0 ultra-violet ras and employed for irradiation, and saidwall being separated from theportidn of the receptacle in which the coilis positioneda distance sufiiciently great to be out of the action ofthe induced field and to perrnit the wall, without cooling, to be at atemperature s1ifiiciently low to be appliedto the part to be irradiaitd.

3. A device for the therapeutic appfication' of ultra-violet radiationsemittedby gaseS excited by high frequency currents; comprising areceptacle for the gases, a coil for induCing current in the gases, andrefiectors of high refiecting power the receptacl with which the coil isassociated a distance suffiCiently great ,to be out of the'a,cti0n,power for visible and ultra-violet rays provided directly on theoutside of the lamp.

5. A devi0e'for the therapeutic application of ultra:violet radiationsemitted by gases excited bhigh freqency currents, comprising a sealedreceptacle containing the gases, an induction coil {aSsociatedwith aportion of the receptacle and adapted to be connected to a source ofhigh irequency current for inductively exciting the gaseous content ofthe receptacle, the receptacle having a wall formed of materialtransparent to ultra-violet rays and employed for irradiation, andsaidwall being separated fromtheportion o f the rceptacle With whichthecoilis associated a distahcesufficiently great to be out of the action ofthe induced fieldand t0 permit the wall, with' out cooling; to be at atemperature sufiiciently low to be applied to the part .to beirradiated, and 25 a refiector of high refiecting power for visible andultra-Violet radiations provided in the receptacle and'adapted todirectthe radiations on said wall. 6. Adevice for the therapeuticapplication .of

ultra-violet radiations emitted by gases excited 30 'by highrequencycurrents, comprising a sealed 'receptacle containingthe gases,aninduction coil associated vvith a portion of the rceptacle and adaptedto be connected. toa source of high fre- 'quenc current for inductivelyexciting the gase- "ous cont zntof the rceptacle, the receptacle havinga; wall formed of material transparent jto ultra-violet .rays andemployed for. irradiation, and said wall being separated from theportion, of

of*the induced field and to permit the wall, with- 'outqooling, to be ata temperature sufiiciently low to be applied to the part to be.irradiated, and a refiector of high reflecting power for visibl'a'ndultra-violet radiations provided directly on the "outside of thereceptacle for directing the radiation to said'wall. 7. A device for theapplication of ultra-violet 'radiationszemitted by gases inductivelyexcited by highirequency curients, comprising a sealed receptaclecontaining the gases, and an induction coil 'adapted to be connected toa source of high *frequncy current for inductively exciting the portionof the receptacle with which the coil is associated by a distancesuficiently great to be removed from the action of the induced fieldandto. permitthe wall, without cooling, to be applied directly to the partto be irradiated.

8, A device according to claim' 1, in which all I walls of thereceptacle are fo'rmed of 'material transparent to ultra-violet rays. V.9. A device according to claim 7, in which all walls of the receptacleare formed of material transparent to ultra-violet rays.

10. An*apparatus for the application of ultra violet radiations directlyto portionsof the human body, comprising an envelope Containing agaseous filling and having at least one wall formed'of materialtransparent t0 Ultra-violet radiations,

and means for electrically exciting the ga's'eous filling to produceultra-violet radiations, said ultra-violet radiation transparent wa1land the exciting means being sufficiently spaced apart so that the wallis outside of the action of the exciting field produced to avoid theheating efiect of said field and to permit direct contact between saidwall and the portion of the body to be irradiated without extraneouscooling.

11. A device according to claim 1, in which the walls of the receptaeleare of a substance difierent from the wall serving for the applicationof ultra-violet radiations.

12. A device according to claim 7, in which the walls of the receptacleare of a substance diiferent from the wall serving for the applicationof ultra-violet radiations.

13. A device according to claim 1, in which the Walls of the receptacleother than the wall serving for the application of ultra-violetradiations are of a substance impermeable to the harmful ultra-violetradiations having a wave length less than that of the solar radiations.

JEANNE GOUDE AXELOS. ANDR CLAUDE.

